


wings above waves

by Tomohisa



Series: the art of flying [1]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Gen, M/M, Wingfic, Wings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-17
Updated: 2015-11-17
Packaged: 2018-05-02 04:09:46
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,518
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5233553
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tomohisa/pseuds/Tomohisa
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Can you fly?” He probed. Whenever he asked Izumin or Kouji to fly with him, they refused.</p><p>Kageyama faced him directly with an indignant scowl on his face. “Of course I can fly,” he spluttered out. “What kind of an idiot can't -”</p><p>“No,” Shouyou interrupted, “I meant, can you <i>fly</i>?”</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I've had drafts of this saved on my computer for _sooooo looooooooooong_ , so I thought I'd just post it.
> 
> Some light Kagehina fluff, but mostly gen I guess? Part 2 will be posted once I've tweaked it a little.
> 
> Feel free to point out any mistakes/errors in the text!
> 
>  **EDIT:** I'm currently in the process of collaborating with [Valgus](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Valgus) to turn _wings above waves_ into a full-length doujin! We're still in the early planning stages, but it looks like it could turn out quite cool. If anyone is interested, we will eventually be posting stuff [on Tumblr](http://wings-above-waves.tumblr.com/). In the meantime, Valgus is also posting ongoing sketches for it [here](http://valgus207.tumblr.com/) (with others [here](http://wurst-and-bolognese.tumblr.com/post/136330887713/hinata-and-kageyama-with-wings-sketches-inspired), [here](http://wurst-and-bolognese.tumblr.com/post/136373277253/more-sketch-inspired-by-wings-above-waves-this) and [here](http://wurst-and-bolognese.tumblr.com/post/138225102853/some-watercolours-for-dragonshuntaswolves-wings))!

With a bitter taste in my mouth, I sat hunched at the edge of the cliff. The saltwater splashed up by the waves crashing below did nothing to lift my spirits. A few feathers battered themselves pointlessly against my cheek, occassionally tickling my nose. Even so, I was unmoving. I had nothing I truly felt like moving for anymore.

I lowered my head into my hands and wept.

* * *

Shouyou jumped from the cliff and let out a fearless yell at the sudden lurching feeling in his stomach. He fell freely, revelling in the wind rushing past his ears. Nothing could be better.

His shoulders jolted with the sudden extension of his wings, right before he crashed into the waves below. A few reddish feathers twitched briefly over the absence of the seawater he had narrowly missed. _That was a close one._ He laughed joyously.

Tilting skywards, he shot up as fast as his furiously flapping wings would allow him. When he reached just below the lowest cloud layer, he glided gently above the waves. Tilting a wingtip, he lazily circled, enjoying the vague warmth of the sunrise over the ocean. One of Shouyou's hands shaded his vision as he admired the view. He'd picked the right time for a flight - the light orange complemented his wings and hair nicely. How auspicious.

Shouyou grinned to himself and folded his wings in tightly, this time dropping backwards to spin slowly as he plummeted downwards. The air up here was bitter, and it ruffled his hair as much as it sent little shivers down his spine. He barely noticed.

Catching himself much higher up this time, he eased into a graceful, looping arc that took him upwards again. He flapped briefly, but Shouyou much preferred the feeling of freefalling to any sort of upward manouvers. Not that he had any dislike for them either. He loved flying too much to dislike any part of it.

He made a few more similar upward climbing and falling movements before turning to glide in the direction of the coastline, marvelling in the ocean smell that never seemed to lose its refreshingness. He grinned. Other Crows were rarely around at this stretch of cliffs - ever, let alone at this hour - so Shouyou had made it his personal flight spot. Not that he had any qualms about sharing, but still.

One more fall was probably enough, based on the brightness of the sun now dappling the waves. Though Shouyou would have preferred to stay out a lot longer. He sighed, and arced upwards.

This was going to be a long fall - maybe even his longest - he had already decided. Shouyou raced up, pushing his wings to their limits until he emerged above the top cloud layer. Hovering briefly, he grinned to himself again and felt the bite of the cold around his bare feet and lower legs. Laughing almost hysterically, he halted the movements of his wings and pulled them as tight to his chest as he dared, along with his arms. And he fell.

Spinning around erratically in the air, Shouyou's barks of laughter never stopped as he lost his sense of direction and a pleasant sensation bubbled in his chest. Orange feathers fluttered erratically against his shirt and shorts. He had never felt so free.

He spread out his limbs like a starfish and used the brief slowing of his fall to right himself. Gently unfurling his wings, his descent slowed a good distance from the water. He glided lazily to the cliffs he had started on, legs almost giving out underneath him when his bare feet crunched into the loose fragments of rock. _What a rush._

* * *

“Izumin! Kouji! Over this way!” Shouyou waved frantically at the two of them, teetering precariously from his rooftop perch. Hitoka grasped tightly at the back of his shirt to anchor him in place, but he hardly noticed. She was sure Shouyou had lost all fear of falling after the first few times had resulted in no more than a few ruffled feathers. He giggled over her concern and leaned back to rub their cheeks together. Hitoka smiled softly in return.

Together, they watched the other two Crows flutter up to join them. Kouji was a little unsteady on his wings, but his landing was solid. He reached back to give Izumin a helping hand, as the other boy misjudged his landing and slipped on the edge of the roof. Izumin seemed a little flustered, but Shouyou only laughed sympathetically at the look on his face.

“Oh, Izumin, you really need to work on your landings!” Izumin flushed all the more at his words.

Kouji tapped Shouyou lightly on the back of the head. “Shouyou, don't point it out!” Kouji was grinning when he looked back at Izumin, however, all white teeth and charm. He tapped foreheads with Shouyou and Hitoka as Izumin groaned.

“Please, guys, let's not focus on my poor flying skills…” Izumin imitated Kouji's greeting before sitting down on Shouyou's other side “We all know I need work.”

“Well, _actually_ , we were only talking about your landing skills.” Shouyou flashed his teeth in a wicked smile. “But, now that we're on the subject, maybe the two of you could -”

“Shou -”

“Shouyou, _please_ -”

Shouyou grinned at their outbursts and leaned back again, noticing Hitoka frowning at him mildly. “Shouyou, you know not everyone is as interested in flying as you are.” She eyed him reprimandingly, expression still soft. “Don't make fun of them!” One of her wings lightly brushed against the back of his head.

Shouyou laughed, expression all butterflies and sunshine. His wings fluttered happily. “I know, I know.” He leaned into her, sharing the warmth between them. One of her pale wings wrapped over his shoulders in response.

Kouji rolled his eyes at the both of them, but ended up smiling as much as Izumin did. “Shouyou,” his voice was rough, but warm. “Why did you call us out here anyway?” He glanced over at Shouyou from where he stood at Izumin's other side, hands in his pockets. “I'm presuming you don't want to hang about on this rooftop all day?”

Shouyou only grinned. “Well, we could always head to the cliff and -”

Hitoka sighed and rubbed a hand over her eyes.

“- admire the view!”

“…Right.” Kouji sounded about as skeptical as Hitoka felt. Shouyou rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

“Hey,” Izumin interrupted, “did any of you guys hear about what happened to the King?” He leaned forwards excitedly, seeming to forget about the drop below.

Shouyou pulled a face. “Who?”

Izumin's wings fluttered. “Oh, you know - that guy they're always talking about from the next town over. The one who's really good at flying!” He made vague twisting gestures with his hands and arms as he continued. “Makes really crazy aerial manouevers.”

Hitoka frowned slightly. That did sound familiar. Shouyou on the other hand, simply looked baffled.

“What?!” He wiggled excitedly on the spot, a rogue chestnut wing hitting Hitoka in the face. “I've never heard of him! He sounds so cooooool!” The last word stretched out into a crowing noise.

“Shouyou, watch it!” Kouji reached over in a vain attempt to try and control Shouyou's quivering wings. “You're hitting Hitoka!” She pulled a stray feather out of her hair and thanked him anyway.

“But,” Izumin continued, “did you not hear? The King got thrown out of his flock!” He sounded nervous to even be bringing up such a thing.

Shouyou froze at that and Hitoka shivered. Even Kouji looked uncomfortable.

“How… how awful for him,” she murmured, gazing at her hands. True flocks were fairly uncommon nowadays, but being tossed out of one was a horrible thing. Hitoka would never wish such a thing on any Crow. She couldn't even imagine what it would be like to lose Shouyou, Kouji and Izumin, let alone a group of Crows that someone flew with on a regular basis.

“But why did they throw him out?” Hitoka turned to Izumin. “If he was such a good flyer?” She furrowed her brows in thought.

Izumin shrugged. “I'm not sure. Rumour has it he was unbearable to fly with, or something like that.” He scratched his chin thoughtfully. “'Too intense', I heard someone say.”

Shouyou was the next to speak up, after a pause. “Well, he should find a new flock!” His words were confident, but he sounded more subdued than usual. Hitoka imagined it would hit him harder than the rest of them. Shouyou valued flying - _true_ flying - as much as breathing. “A flock that enjoys flying as much as he does!”

* * *

One morning when Shouyou arrived at his usual spot, he did a double-take. Someone was sitting at the edge of the topmost cliff. He marched over to them, full of the sunshine of his namesake.

“Hi!” The other boy startled, and Shouyou choked back a laugh. “I've never seen you around here before! Then again, I rarely see anyone around here…” he trailed off with a pondering finger at his mouth and a cocked head, brows furrowed in thought.

Shrugging to himself, he sat down next to the boy with a cheery smile, glad for the change from his usual solitary mornings. He leaned forwards slightly to eye the other boy's face - who was pointedly looking away from him, he noted - wings fluttering excitedly. “What's your name?”

He took in the other boy's dark hair, moving with the slight breeze, and his stiff posture. Even his dark wings seemed almost frozen in place. They bore a unique colouring that Shouyou had never seen before. A bluish black, maybe even grey, with indistinct darker barring, fading into black at the tips. Sleek and glossy in the morning sunlight, Shouyou would have taken them for fakes at their stillness, if he hadn't known any better. No, no, that wouldn't do. Shouyou's wings itched even more at the mere thought of such restraint.

“…Kageyama.”

“Huh?” He had zoned out without noticing. Shouyou glanced at the other's face again..

The other boy eyed Shouyou and gave him a brief frown. “My name. Tobio Kageyama.”

Shouyou perked up at that, grin brightening. “I'm Shouyou Hinata!” He leaned forwards to bump foreheads with Kageyama, which the other boy rather too obviously avoided with a backwards shift. Oh, okay then. Maybe they didn't do that where he was from. Shouyou refused to let his spirits be dampened by such a small thing. The day was too new for that. Instead, he leaned back and caught Kageyama's eye.

“Can you fly?” He probed. Whenever he asked Izumin or Kouji to fly with him, they refused.

Kageyama faced him directly with an indignant scowl on his face. “Of course I can _fly_ ,” he spluttered out. “What kind of an idiot can't -”

“No,” Shouyou interrupted, “I meant, can you _fly_?” He stressed the last word, but Kageyama continued to frown at him uncomprehendingly.

Shouyou met his gaze for a little while longer before he made up his mind. Breathing out deeply, he stood up and stretched out one shoulder and then the other. His wings fluttered out sporadically behind him as he did so. Kageyama eyed each movement carefully, but said nothing, his expression intense but reserved.

Stepping up to the edge of the cliff again, Shouyou waited for Kageyama to focus on his face again before he smiled. He turned so that he stood with his back to the ocean, hands on hips, and unfurled his wings behind his back. Kageyama blinked as the sunlight was suddenly shaded by the darker tips of Shouyou's feathers.

“I meant,” Shouyou stressed carefully, “do you ever do _this_?” He relaxed his arms and allowed himself to freefall, backwards, off the cliff.

He vaguely took in that Kageyama was shouting something incomprehensible at him, but between the wind rushing past his ears and his own maniac laughing, he didn't catch the words themselves.

Instead, he focused on the feeling of his own feathers battering against him. A few tickled his face and he laughed all the more for it. Leaning with the angle of his fall, Shouyou looked downwards at the rapidly approaching waves and righted himself with a flip at the last moment. Gliding for a little while, he then rushed upwards with even more enthusiasm than normal. Knowing that he had an audience was almost exciting, if a little terrifying. His stomach jolted at the thought of Kageyama watching him below.

Shouyou ignored it and continued to race upwards. Reaching forwards with both arms as he reached the peak of his ascent, he waved fingertips through the bottom of a cloud, and let himself drop again. He shut his eyes and folded his wings tight as he lost himself in the sensation. He spun, fast, but it wasn't enough to disorientate him. He had practised enough.

At the last moment he caught himself and felt his shoulders almost pop with the sudden pressure on his wings. Laughter bubbled up out of him again as he glided down towards the surface of the water. He flapped his wings but allowed his feet to sink briefly below the waves, revelling in the sensation. Shouyou often avoided footwear when flying - to avoid the added weight - but being able to dip toes in the water was an added bonus.

Pushing upwards from an almost standstill was more difficult, but Shouyou managed and headed back towards where Kageyama was still waiting on the cliffs.

* * *

Hitoka never never really worried about Shouyou, not really.

Sometimes, he would misjudge a landing and scrape a knee. Often, he would take a bad tumble from a tree or a roof and sprain a wing. Even so, she still never really worried about him.

But this… This Shouyou, she worried about.

Ever since Izumin's revelation about the King - the superb flyer from another flock - being abandoned, Shouyou had been quiet.

That in itself wasn't unusual - despite what others would say, Hitoka herself knew that Shouyou was never loud all of the time. He had his off days too. Sometimes, some of the other Crows their age would make fun of his size, and he would curl in on himself with an unnerving sort of intensity. He always bounced back though, usually with a bright smile on his face and a skip in his step.

Now, though, he stared out across the village with a melancholic sort of stillness. The only parts of him that moved were a few chestnut feathers wavering in the light breeze. Hitoka knew Shouyou was unaware of her, watching him in the remains of the dim evening light. If he'd noticed her, he would've jumped up and left his solitude on the rooftop, to join her on the ground below.

She frowned, but silently slipped back through her doorway and into her house. It was too chilly to stand outside waiting for him to come inside. She'd be there if he needed her.

* * *

At Shouyou's approach, what might have been shocked concern on Kageyama's face melted into a grudging frown of respect. His knuckles were white where he now gripped the cliff edge, and his posture only slightly relaxed from what must have been a coil of high tension.

As soon as Shouyou alighted on the ground again, he started at the other boy's sudden outburst. “What the hell was that, dumbass?!” It almost looked as though it pained him to continue. “You could have died! What if you'd fallen?!”

“I wouldn't have _died_ -” Shouyou began, confidently, stretching out his back with both hands behind his head. He was willing to admit that he had fallen before, albeit from a lesser height. The worst he had walked away with was a strained wing muscle. It had prevented him from going on any morning flights for more than a week, but it hadn't been that bad. Shouyou was confident that if something did, by some awful chance, go wrong at a greater height, he would be able to sort himself out enough to land in the water with no more than the same. Not a permanent injury, anyway.

“You might have,” Kageyama furiously cut him off, now standing up to his full height and towering over Shouyou. He was a lot taller than Shouyou had realised, and he cringed away unintentionally. “Why would you even do something so… so… _stupid_?”

Shouyou had been brought down from his high a little by Kageyama's reprimand, but he brightened at that, straightening. “Maybe you should give it a try.” He let a smug smile creep back onto his face. “Then again, it's not for everyone.” Leaning into Kageyama's space cockily, he continued, “Maybe you'd be _bad_ at it.”

Kageyama's frown deepened into something fierce at that, and he looked away, towards the ocean. Shouyou's heart thudded erratically with a strange mix of anxiety and pleasure. He had him.

“Don't mind, Kageyama!” He gave the other boy a hefty pat on the back, between his black wings. How appropriate. “I can help you out!” He felt Kageyama stiffen and flinched a little at the intensity of his glare when he turned back to face him.

“I don't need any help flying,” Kageyama ground out, “I can do it on my own.” His head whipped back round to face away from Shouyou.

Shouyou delicately moved his hand away from Kageyama's back to make placating gestures. “Of course, of course!” He shrugged with feigned nonchalance and stepped away from the other boy slightly, spreading his reddish wings. Kageyama turned back and eyed him, before mimicking the movement. The underside of his wings was just as distinctive as his back, but with more white. His impressive wingspan cast a dark shadow that matched his wings. And his face. Shouyou nearly laughed aloud at the last thought, but caught himself.

Instead, with a fresh grin on his face, Shouyou leapt upwards and flapped erratically to get himself away from the ground. Figuring that a starting freefall was a bit of an extreme expectation for a newbie, the next best thing was to get some height. He rose upwards as rapidly as he was able, and felt as much as heard Kageyama following behind him with slower, steadier wingbeats.

* * *

As much as Crows adored flying, few of them went higher than a few metres from the ground, wary of falling from too high a height. A few of the braver ones went even higher - maybe soared over treetops on a regular basis. Few flew as Shouyou did, dancing across cloudtops and diving off cliffs for fun. In fact, it was almost unheard of.

His expectations for Kageyama were therefore woefully low. The fact that he had chosen to follow him up to such a height was almost as much as Shouyou dared to hope for. Anything more would be all but spectacular.

They were almost of a level with the clouds again when Shouyou spun to face Kageyama, heart beating rapidly. Kageyama was still frowning, but there was a line of tension that was missing from his face. Shouyou hadn't particularly noticed it earlier, but the lack of it edged Kageyama's resting facial expression into something almost relaxed. If you ignored the frown.

Together, the two of them hung there for a few minutes. Shouyou closed his eyes briefly and focused on steadying his heartbeat to match the rhythm of Kageyama's wings. When he opened his eyes again, he caught the boy in question gazing at him with an unspoken question.

Shouyou grinned and waited for Kageyama to say something, but nothing was forthcoming as he hovered expectingly. Instead, the last few remants of tension left the other boy's face with the rest of his scowl, leaving a curiously focused expression. He met Shouyou's gaze and he felt ready to burst with excitement.

Maintaining eye contact, Shouyou nodded and stopped his fierce wingbeats, suddenly dropping out of Kageyama's line of vision. He left his wings partially unfurled, slowing his descent ever so slightly so that the other boy would be able to catch up.

He didn't have to wait long. Kageyama joined him a few heartbeats later, also plummeting headfirst, and Shouyou angled himself closer to join him.

Laughing, he spun around Kageyama as they fell, delicately brushing their feathers together. When they were back to facing one another, he gripped the other boy's shoulders briefly to bring their foreheads almost together in the greeting he had been rejected from earlier. To his surprise, Kageyama made up the last couple of centimetres of distance, a curiously neutral expression on his face.

Shouyou pushed backwards using Kageyama as an anchor and then held out his hands expectantly. Kageyama almost frowned as he glanced downwards at Shouyou's arms, but he caught on quickly. They linked hands and spun. Together.

Shouyou carefully manipulated their spinning with his wings, angling the odd feather here or there to control their descent. Kageyama caught on quickly. More than once Shouyou felt their wingtips brush against one another. It was a heedy feeling.

Despite Shouyou's amazement at their synchronicity, Kageyama largely refused to make eye contact with the smaller boy. Mostly, his eyes darted between Shouyou's wings and the rapidly approaching water below. Never stilling, never slowing.

When they were only a few metres from the water, Shouyou pushed away from Kageyama. As one, they arced upwards in opposite directions, gliding further away from the coastline in an unspoken, mutual agreement.

Kageyama soared up higher, his longer wings pushing him up more easily than Shouyou's smaller, fluttering ones. However, Shouyou was fast.

He darted up and underneath Kageyama, startling him with a delicate brush of an orange wingtip to his face. He looked back and flashed his best smile at Kageyama, and was startled to find it returned with an equally intense look.

Flapping lightly, Kageyama held his gaze as he pumped his wings more intently. He flew directly above Shouyou, catching up. Shouyou slowed to a glide and flipped onto his back to face him. They didn't lock hands this time, just gazes, and continued like that for a few heartbeats until Shouyou dropped back and arced round towards the cliff. He felt breathless. Kageyama followed.

* * *

When they alighted, neither said anything for a while. Both panted heavily and lay on the ground, heedless of any stray rocks digging into their backs and wings.

They had connected. Such a feeling was unusual in itself among Crows, and didn't need to be put into words.

“Kageyama, huh?” Shouyou breathed out, and turned his head to find the boy in question already staring at him. He smiled. “Have you ever wanted a flight partner?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hinata's wings are based on a [red kite](https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=red+kite&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAWoVChMI-tv74r6YyQIVQlUUCh3tNgTa&biw=1366&bih=643), Kageyama's on a [peregrine falcon](https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=peregrine+falcon&espv=2&biw=1366&bih=643&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0CAYQ_AUoAWoVChMI0tihg7-YyQIVg28UCh1UDw3L), Hitoka's on a [mourning dove](https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=mourning+dove&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAWoVChMI8-TMir-YyQIVCToUCh3lCwRS), Izumi is a [Canada goose](https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=Canada+goose&espv=2&biw=1366&bih=643&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAmoVChMIi_HAkr-YyQIVRg8PCh1zrQbO), and Kouji a [barnacle goose](https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=barnacle+goose&espv=2&biw=1366&bih=643&site=webhp&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAmoVChMI4uzLmr-YyQIVxDwUCh2YsgxU).


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tobio did not, in fact, want a flight partner.
> 
> He knew this. His old flock knew this. Everyone who knew him knew this, and yet, he had found himself in this situation.
> 
> This Shouyou Hinata, a small ball of untempered sunshine. His flying as bold as his personality. Flashes of orange wings and hair, never halting, even for a moment. An unstoppable force.
> 
> Despite all of his protests, Tobio found himself caught up in Hinata's current.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for the lovely comments on the first part! I really enjoyed writing this fic - especially the flight scenes - but I put off posting any of it for so long because I wasn't sure of my writing. This part is mostly from Kageyama's POV, as a contrast to the first part which centered more around Hinata.
> 
> I listened to [this song](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mfiO7QLkxRA) _a lot_ whilst I was writing this fic, so give it a listen if you're curious.
> 
> Thanks again, guys! Here's part 2 - enjoy!

This kid was  _insane_.

Tobio had followed the red-head as he made an awkward vertical ascent - his take-off had been so clumsy, even with an impressive jump from those tiny legs of his - and slowly careened around the side of the cliff to a rocky outcrop not too far from their starting point. That was when things had started to get interesting.

Compared to the ridiculous free-falling that Tobio had watched the other boy do earlier, his flying now was pretty tame. It was almost disappointing.

But as soon as they got within a few wingbeats of a new rock formation it was like something in the chestnut Crow snapped. Tobio stumbled mid-flight as the other boy yelled out wordlessly and did a forward-flip - curling completely in on himself in mid-air - before straightening out again.

Tobio stared at the other Crow. No one in his old flock would have done anything even remotely close to a trick like that. At least, not without good reason. And yet, here he was, flying with this strange Crow that apparently took so much pleasure from even the smallest of pointless aerial tricks. It hadn't even been that smooth. Certainly, it wasn't something that deserved excited fist pumping mid-flight, like the red-head was doing.

He watched with thinly veiled interest as the other boy moved daringly close to the cliff edge and rubbed the tip of an orange-brown wing along it, laughing.

_Shouyou Hinata, huh?_

* * *

The first time Tobio met Hinata's friends, it was awkward.

Well, OK, Tobio had experienced way _worse_ interactions with other Crows, but compared to his initial meeting with Hinata, it was… turbulent.

“Shouyou, who's this tall guy?” The darker haired one eyed Tobio as Hinata ran up to greet him with their customary forehead touch. He leaned down and reciprocated. The gesture felt almost familiar now, after all of their previous meetings. The first time Hinata had tried to tap foreheads, however, Tobio had thought he was mocking him. He couldn't remember the last time someone had initiated such a naturally affectionate greeting with him.

Tobio brushed a stray chestnut feather from Hinata's hair as he straightened, and tried to ignore the mild looks of surprise from the other two boys. The girl however, was smiling at him warmly. She moved forwards to greet him.

“Nice to meet you. I'm Hitoka Yachi.” She bowed, but somehow still managed to retain a feeling of welcoming that edged out from the usual restrictions of formality. Therefore, Tobio was only mildly surprised when she straightened afterwards to initiate a light forehead bump with him. He was vaguely aware of Hinata beaming widely at their interaction from the corner of his eye. “Shouyou has told me a lot about you.” He tried and failed not to flush at that.

Looking fully at Hinata, he found the other boy standing with both hands behind his head, meeting his gaze unrepentantly. His chestnut-brown wings were spread out behind him, the white patches of their undersides showing. Tobio's blush deepened.

Hinata stepped forward again and grabbed one of Tobio's arms to drag him towards the two other boys. Yachi followed closely behind them. Tobio felt like an awkward giant. The fact that the lighter haired boy's flecked wings were twitching nervously did nothing to assuage his anxiety. He felt his frown deepen in response, and noticed the other boy's twitching increase.

Hinata tugged at his arm to get his attention. “Kageyama, this is Yukitaka Izumi,” he gestured to the boy with the paler feathers and freckled face, “and this is Kouji Sekimukai.” The darker haired boy nodded at him. “Guys, this is Tobio Kageyama! My flight partner!” He bounced on the spot enthusiastically.

Tobio's dark feathers ruffled unintentionally, but he didn't deny Hinata's claim over him. He bowed politely to the two other boys and grumbled out a rough greeting.

There was a flash of wary recognition shared between the two boys as they glanced at each other in surprise, but both bowed back. It was Sekimukai that spoke up when they straightened. “Did you say… flight partner?”

“Yeah!” Hinata punctuated his statement by jumping on Tobio's back, firm fingers grasping at the top of Tobio's wings where they emerged from his shoulder blades. The first time he had done that, Tobio had been surprised. Now, it was just really annoying.

He flapped his wings irritably to dislodge Hinata. “Get off, idiot!”

Hinata released his grip and fell back, pouting, as Tobio straightened. “Well, then,” Hinata huffed, “let's just show them!”

His expression melted into the purest joy as he turned and made a running leap off the cliff, yelling wordlessly. The lack of disturbed noises from Hinata's friends proved what Tobio had always believed - such erratic behaviour was simply the norm for Hinata.

Sighing, Tobio stepped up to the cliff edge and carefully tracked Hinata's progress as he swooped away from the waves, arcing upwards. He briefly glanced back at Hinata's friends. The smile remained on Yachi's face, but was a little tense as she also followed Hinata's movements. The two boys looked uncomfortable. From Hinata's behaviour? His revelation? _Because of me?_ Tobio found he didn't much care.

Flexing his wings, he didn't quite mimic Hinata's wild leap from the rocky edge, instead choosing to spread out his wings slightly to gracefully control his downward movement. Pulling them in closer to his body, he shot down to the waves before pushing out his wing-tips fully to careen into a swooping, upward climb.

His wings twitched with excitement as he hit the peak of his ascent. Tobio was tempted to close his eyes and fully focus on the temporary feeling of weightlessness that assaulted his stomach, but he was never as trusting as Hinata, that dumbass.

Instead, he leaned back and curved back on himself in a strange imitation of a backwards half-flip in the air, once again falling face-first towards the waves below. Letting his wings hang loosely at his sides, he was only half-surprised when he heard a whistling sound behind him, and felt a touch twine itself into his feathers. He shivered.

Hinata laughed whole-heartedly and angled them both so that they were falling diagonally. Tobio felt him loosen the grip he had on his wings and fall back, before a flash of orange-brown shot by him. At first, he had almost been jealous of Hinata's speed, but many flights with him had revealed that he still lacked finesse in manoeuvring tight turns or flips. Control over which came naturally to Tobio. He found himself grinning, and tucked his wings in tight.

Catching up to Hinata was no easy feat, especially considering how close they were to the water now. But then, Tobio had always been known for his reckless manoeuvres. He flew straight until he was almost side-by-side with Hinata, before spinning his body precisely to roll underneath the other boys wings. Tobio's breath caught in his throat as he saw the surface of the water swim past his vision, but as always, his movements were perfect. He reappeared at Hinata's other side and flashed him a smile at the sound of his laughter.

Both of them flapped upwards, and Tobio caught Hinata's excited, “That was amazing, Kageyama! Teach me! Teach me!” He largely ignored the other boy's twittering as they gained height, but allowed himself another small smile at the words.

* * *

Hitoka watched with no small amount of amazement as Shouyou fell at an incredible rate, side-by-side with Kageyama. Even from here, she could imagine his excited laughter, the wind pushing back the hair from his face. The ridiculous euphoria he got from rushing head-first into a dive. Finally, falling - no,  _flying_ , she corrected herself - with someone by his side.

“Woah, what are they _doing_?” Izumin's voice was a little shaky.

Kouji, next to him, said nothing. Hitoka glanced back and saw that his arms were crossed. He met her eyes, and then turned back to staring intently at the two falling Crows. There was a hint of a frown between his eyebrows, as well as something else that Hitoka couldn't place.

She turned back and shaded her eyes with a hand. From this distance, she could vaguely make out Shouyou slowly spreading his chestnut wings in sync with Kageyama's. They continued to fall, but at a much more controlled rate. Eventually they levelled off into a graceful, sweeping loop that took them upwards once more.

Shouyou's wings had never been small, but Kageyama's slate grey ones dwarfed them when they were that close. Hitoka's own twitched at the sight of the two Crows breaking apart in mid-air, Shouyou twisting round and over Kageyama multiple times in a fierce blend of black and orange until they straightened out into a race of sorts.

There was something addictive about Shouyou. Hitoka had felt it the first time she had met the boy. As hatchlings, they had been close, Shouyou's bright smile drawing her in and lifting her up. It was like basking in direct sunlight.

* * *

Tobio did not, in fact, want a flight partner.

He knew this. His old flock knew this. Everyone who knew him knew this, and yet, he had found himself in this situation.

This Shouyou Hinata, a small ball of untempered sunshine. His flying as bold as his personality. Flashes of orange wings and hair, never halting, even for a moment. An unstoppable force.

He couldn't have said what it was the made him trust Hinata so much. The other boy was reckless. He jumped from clifftops and laughed the entire way down. He darted in front of Tobio mid-flight, cutting across his path and pulling faces. Sometimes, he would tug on Tobio's arm or force them to link hands - not that Tobio overly minded, but still - to drag both of them into a spinning dive.

The first time it had happened, Tobio had been a little baffled, but thought it was maybe a greeting flight pattern peculiar to the Crows around here. The more times it happened though, the more Tobio realised it was probably just another one of Hinata's peculiarities.

Despite all of his protests, Tobio found himself caught up in Hinata's current.

* * *

They were perched on the roof together again when Hitoka thought to bring it up again.

A light breeze stroked their feathers as they sat soaking up the early afternoon sunlight. Shouyou's reddish wings were spread wide, open to every small movement in the wind, although Hitoka herself preferred to keep her own in a more reserved position.

"Uh, Shouyou?" He hummed in response, but she still hesitated, running a finger along the edge of one of her pale wings. Picking at a stray feather, Hitoka continued. "You've been kind of quiet recently... Is everything all right?"

He turned to her with a startled expression. "Ehhhhh? I don't know what you mean, Hitoka!" Shouyou rubbed the back of his neck, laughing awkwardly. She absently noted that his feathers were ruffling. He never was particularly good at hiding things. She sighed, and changed tactics.

"How was the wind at the cliff today?"

If anything, Shouyou's wing feathers stuck out even _more_ dramatically. "It was amazing!" She leaned away slightly to avoid an enthusiastic flaring of his chestnut wings. "First, it pushed me up so I was drifting near the clouds, like _bwaaah_!" He turned to face her directly and made a vague twirling motion with his hands. "Then, _gwaaah_ , a gust came out of nowhere!"

He continued on similarly for a while, and she smiled, nodding at the appropriate times. His enthusiasm was contagious. Although neither she, Kouji or Izumin felt the restlessness that Shouyou did when he wasn't flying, the almost melancholic appreciation of flight was instinctive in all Crows. Guilt gnawed at her every time she thought of Shouyou out there at the cliffs, flying alone.

"I'm glad you're still having fun." That made his grin stretch out even further. "I was worried that you'd stopped going. After all, I can't remember the last time you tried to invite any of us for a flight."

Shouyou's wings fluttered slightly. "Aha, well... Actually, there's something I've been meaning to tell you."

* * *

This time when they reached the clouds again, it was together. Tobio twisted round and past Hinata, spinning through layers of wet cloud and revelling at sensation of the beads of moisture on his skin. Hinata followed with less elaborate manoeuvres, but twice as much enthusiasm. He darted in and out of Tobio's slipstream and laughed the entire time. At one point they even found themselves face-to-face for a brief moment, and Tobio had to bite back a grin at the look on Hinata's face.

Being up this high was so freeing. Tobio doubted that Hinata's friends could even see them at this point.

“Kageyama!” He was in the middle of carving a fast-paced path forwards when Hinata's voice made him twist his neck back awkwardly. He tried to hide his surprise as he felt Hinata get a firm grip on his shoulders and settle between them, folding his wings back to settle almost completely on Tobio's back. The sudden weight jolted Tobio, but it wasn't enough to disrupt his flight. Hinata was light, even as far as Crows went.

He felt Hinata drag himself up to Tobio's ear whilst trying to keep as flat as possible. “You trust me, right?” Tobio almost snorted at the question, his wingbeats keeping up their steady pace. He grunted in affirmation before Hinata continued.

“You know I'll always be here, ok?” Tobio looked back again, slightly unnerved by the seriousness of Hinata's tone. “So let me show you something?” The inflection made the last part a question.

The intensity of Hinata's gaze made him shiver, but he nodded and faced forwards again. “Fine.” He quickly twisted into a barrel roll.

Hinata laughed wildly, rolling off of Tobio's back as he tilted. He fell a few metres before righting himself, ending up somewhere just behind Tobio's left wing. "Come on then, Kageyama! Follow me!"

Tobio grimaced as a familiar orange blur raced past him.

* * *

Hinata's insistent twittering the entire way back to the cliff was the only reason why Tobio decided to spend any time on the ground with Hinata's friends. At least, that's what he was telling himself.

The smaller Crow just did not stop _squawking_. Even when he was flying, Hinata was a rampant medley of excited noises. Tobio watched with detached interest as he skipped ahead to jump between Hitoka and Izumi, allowing his darker chestnut feather tips to rest across their shoulders. Tobio himself hung back, dark wings folded neatly. The darker haired boy - _Sekimukai, was it?_ \- was keeping pace with him, even when the others ran further ahead, chasing after an overly-excited Hinata.

 _Well then._ It was nice to know there was at least once sensible person in the group. Yachi had come across as fairly reasonable though. Maybe -

"Kageyama," a gruff voice interrupted his thoughts, "can I ask you something?"

Tobio eyed the other boy. His wings were long and patterned with alternating ripples of lighter and darker shades of grey. They looked strong, yet almost clumsy on the boy.  _He probably never even uses them._ Tobio held back a snort.

But, he was Hinata's friend.

"Yes?"

The other boy laughed lightly. "Wow, ok, you really don't waste words, do you?" Kageyama frowned and opened his mouth to retort, but Sekimukai spoke on anyway. "Why are you here?"

Tobio stopped walking. After a few more steps, Hinata's friend halted too. He looked back with a crumpled expression on his face.

"It's not that I have a problem with you, personally, but we've all heard the stories." Tobio flinched. Had everyone heard about that?

Sekimukai faced Tobio fully, hands in his pockets. His odd expression settled into a frown, grey wings twitching slightly. "I can see why you like Hinata. He... he pulls you into things. He's always got this stupid, happy look on his face - even when he gets hurt. It's kind of frustrating really." He rubbed the back of his neck with one hand.

The light breeze tousled both of their feathers as they stood there in silence for a moment. Then Sekimukai continued.

"I don't think you'd hurt him deliberately - from what I saw today, Shouyou's  _trust_ in you - but if you ever do," his wings puffed out, and Tobio was surprised to feel the feathers closest to his neck prickle with unease, "I'll make sure you regret it."

He turned around and left Tobio standing there. His gaze drifted to the ground at his feet. His thoughts were a mess - these Crows, they were all so _odd_. They were all so _loyal_ to each other, and they weren't even a proper _flock_ , they didn't even _fly_ together -

"But," Tobio looked up at the sound. The other boy was still facing away from him, but he waved a hand vaguely in Tobio's direction as he walked. "Shouyou seems to like you, so I guess you can hang around with us."

* * *

Hinata's idea was the most utterly ridiculous, _stupid_ thing Tobio had ever heard. But the very _idea_ of it sent both shivers and quivers of excitement down to Tobio's feather tips.

The whole thing started off with Hinata guiding him to his favourite flying spot. Well, at least that's where Tobio _thought_ they were heading. He could only pick up from every fifth word from Hinata, who didn't seem to understand that flying so far ahead and so fast didn't allow for much sound to travel backwards.

The area they ended up in was slightly foggy and quite a distance from where Hinata's friends were waiting. A few dark, rocky outcrops loomed over them in odd, twisting formations. Several of them were less than a full wingspan apart. It was almost like a forest of rocks, and Tobio had never seen anything like it.

Hinata's plan was simple. He would dart through the rocks as fast as he was able to fly, and Tobio would have to catch him.

Tobio had been up for the challenge almost immediately, but now that he had actually _seen_ the place Hinata had in mind, he was wary. Excited, but _wary_.

"Are you ready, Kageyama?" Hinata had slowed down to a gentle glide above Tobio's head. 

"I don't know..." Tobio twisted so that he was facing upwards, at the smaller Crow. Hinata gazed down at him, smiling brightly but with intensity in his eyes. He swallowed his fear. "I don't think this is something within your flight capabilities."

Hinata bristled visibly and Tobio bit back a grin, maintaining their eye contact. "Just try and catch me then!"

Hinata's tiny chestnut wings began to beat furiously, and Tobio righted himself just in time to see a flash a red disappear into the fog. Taking a few breaths to steel himself, he flapped his own wings and followed.

The most disturbing thing about flying without a great deal of vision wasn't the lack of sight, but that Hinata's excited laughs echoed from all directions. The surrounding rocks distorted the sound, and sometimes Tobio would head in what he thought was Hinata's direction, only to end up breaking suddenly to avoid crashing into a rock face.

He could feel that Hinata wasn't far off though. The other Crow was obviously much more familiar with this area than Tobio, with the added benefit of a smaller wingspan. Tobio would have to catch him out somehow.

He rose up slightly higher and circled the same set of rocks aimlessly for a while, trying to judge where most of Hinata's laughing seemed to be coming from. It took him a while, but he was able to narrow it down to between three of the tallest rocks. Tobio was pretty sure the smaller Crow was taunting him. He took a few moments to ready himself, and then, he did one thing he was _truly_ the best at, and dove.

Hinata was fast, after all, but Tobio was faster at diving. So, _so_ much faster.

The sky whistled past him as he fell, pulling his limbs in tight to his body to minimise wind resistance. His stomach lurched at the sudden shift in speed, more severe than one of his normal dives - the ones he normally did with Hinata - and he tried not to squint despite the wind battering his face. A blurry glimpse of orange to his left had Tobio reflexively twisting in that direction at the last moment, and he almost barrelled straight into Hinata. The chestnut-winged Crow squawked with surprise and tried darting around the nearest rock, but Tobio managed to clip one of his wings with a hand and throw off his manoeuvre. He snagged Hinata in his arms before he was able to right himself. Or crash into a rock.

Tobio's grin was all teeth. "That was almost too easy," he boasted, holding Hinata in place as they slowed to a glide. He made sure they weren't drifting into any rocks, and glanced down at the smaller Crow. "I doubt you'll ever be fast enough to evade me. I'll always catch you."

Hinata only laughed against his chest, and gently pulled Tobio's face down to tap their foreheads together. "Always, Kageyama!"

* * *

The grey-winged Crow's words had really thrown him off. Tobio hadn't really moved after Sekimukai had left, instead choosing to edge closer to the cliffside and watch the waves for a while. He already knew that Hinata's friends weren't really a _flock_. There was no need for him to feel so nervous. He couldn't lose anything here. Hinata was too loud and persistent to ever leave him on his own, and the others didn't fly with him anyway. There was no _reason_ for this awkwardness he was feeling.

" _Yamayamaaaaa!_ " Tobio braced himself just before a familiar weight landed on his back. "Where did you go? I ran off ahead with Hitoka and Izumin and when I looked back, you were _gone_." Hinata sounded scandalised as he leaned over Tobio's shoulder to put them cheek to cheek. He felt warm.

Tobio pushed Hinata's face away with the palm of his hand. "What was that, dumbass? ' _Yamayama_ '?" Hinata landed lightly on his feet, but Tobio stood up and gripped the top of his head tightly, ignoring the other boy's pained, apologetic chirping.

He also determinedly ignored the wings fluttering in his stomach. Maybe things would be ok after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope this chapter satisfies! I'd love to write more for this AU, because I have headcanons for a few of the other character's wings. I was also kind of tempted to write about Kageyama being kicked out of his old flock, but I wanted to keep a nice mood throughout this part of the fic, with minimal sad feels.
> 
> Let me know what you guys think! You can also find me on [Tumblr](http://dragonshuntaswolves.tumblr.com/) or [Twitter](https://twitter.com/wolveshvnokings)!

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Wings Above Waves: The Graphic](https://archiveofourown.org/works/5899675) by [Valgus](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Valgus/pseuds/Valgus)




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